Auto Container Builder

This script creates Docker containers from different images and connects each container to a Tailscale network.

Usage Guide

User List

The users.txt file contains a list of users, one per line. Each row represents a user and their associated container. The first column is the username, and the second column is the Docker image name.

Run the script with .\create-containers.sh add users.txt to add the missing containers, use the recreate option to delete and recreate each container if existing.

Docker Images

To build a Docker image from a Dockerfile, use the following command:

docker build -f Dockerfile.tag -t image-name:tag .

Script Configuration

Container run options (except for ports), such as GPU support or volume mounts, can be specified in the DOCKER_OPTS variable.

Ports to be exposed through Tailscale must be defined in the PORT_OPT variable. For example, if you want to expose ports 5901 and 6080, set PORT_OPT accordingly. Update every occurrence as needed for your services.

TSDProxy

Configuration File

Edit the YAML file at ./tsdproxy/tsdproxy-conf to add your Tailscale authentication key. Generate a key at Tailscale Admin Console (select "Reusable" and set the duration to 90 days).

Proxy Container

From the tsdproxy directory, start the proxy container with:

docker compose up -d

After making configuration changes, restart the container. Tailscale nodes are automatically added when containers are created.

Using compose-containers.sh

The compose-containers.sh script is designed to automate the creation and management of Docker containers for development environments. It supports connecting containers to a Tailscale network and forwarding ports for remote access.

Prerequisites

1. Input File: Prepare a text file (e.g., users.txt) listing users and their associated Docker images. Each line should follow the format:

   username docker-image-name
   

   Lines starting with # are treated as comments and ignored.

2. Tailscale Auth Key: Obtain a valid Tailscale authentication key, it must be reusable.

Script Usage

Run the script with the following syntax:

./compose-containers.sh <mode> <user_image_file.txt> <tailscale_auth_key>

• <mode>: Specify add to create new containers or recreate to delete and recreate existing containers.
• <user_image_file.txt>: Path to the input file containing user and image mappings.
• <tailscale_auth_key>: Your Tailscale authentication key.

Example

To add containers for users listed in users.txt:

./compose-containers.sh add users.txt ts-auth-key

To recreate containers:

./compose-containers.sh recreate users.txt ts-auth-key

What the Script Does

1. Reads Input File: Processes each user and their Docker image.
2. Generates Docker Compose Configurations: Creates a docker-compose.yml file for each user in the deployments directory.
3. Launches Containers: Starts the containers using Docker Compose.
4. Port Forwarding: Sets up port forwarding for SSH, VNC, and NoVNC access.

Output

• Docker Compose configurations are stored in deployments/<user_project_name>/docker-compose.yml.
• A Tailscale Serve config is generated at deployments/<user_project_name>/serve-config.json to enable HTTPS for noVNC.
• Containers are launched with the following access details:
  • SSH: ssh <container_name>
  • noVNC Access: https://<container_name> (HTTPS via Tailscale Serve)

Note: HTTPS certificates must be enabled in your Tailscale admin console under DNS → HTTPS Certificates at https://login.tailscale.com/admin/dns.